Palm Beach County, FL
Palm Beach County Probate Creditor Notice & Obituary Monitoring
Probate creditor notice and obituary monitoring context for Palm Beach County: 15th Judicial Circuit Court. This guide summarizes Florida requirements under Fla. Stat. § 733.702 and local filing practices—confirm deadlines against your court order and publication dates.
Informational only — not legal advice. Rules vary by court; consult a licensed attorney in this jurisdiction.
Last reviewed: May 1, 2026
County overview
The fiduciary challenges facing Palm Beach County probate practitioners are unlike anywhere else in Florida. The 15th Judicial Circuit Court, Probate Division processes a disproportionate volume of high-net-worth estates—many belonging to "snowbird" clients whose heirs, creditors, and assets are scattered across multiple states. This geographic dispersion makes manual obituary monitoring not merely inconvenient, but practically impossible for attorneys seeking to satisfy Florida's rigorous creditor notification requirements. The Palm Beach Post publishes obituaries that may be the first public notice of a client's death, yet attorneys relying on family notifications often learn about deaths weeks after publication. Florida Statutes Section 733.2121 imposes a 90-day creditor claim period that begins running the moment notice is published—whether or not the personal representative has seen it. For estates in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter, and Delray Beach, this creates a dangerous liability gap where creditors may emerge with valid claims against estates believed to be properly administered. ObituaryMonitor provides the "Fiduciary Standard" of digital surveillance that Palm Beach County practitioners require. Our automated system monitors over 16,000 obituary sources 24/7, including The Palm Beach Post, South Florida funeral homes, Legacy.com, and national aggregators. When a death notice matches your watch list, you receive immediate email and SMS alerts—typically within hours of publication. For the 15th Judicial Circuit specifically, our platform generates court-ready audit logs with unique report identifiers, timestamps, and source documentation that satisfy Florida's "Reasonable Diligence" standard. Whether you're administering a Palm Beach Island estate with international beneficiaries or a routine Delray Beach trust, ObituaryMonitor transforms the 14-day notification gap from a liability exposure into documented, defensible compliance.
Who uses this
Operational reference for professionals who need creditor-notice context and documented obituary search—not a substitute for legal counsel or formal court filings.
- Probate attorneys
- Estate administrators
- Creditors & collections teams
- Private investigators
- Fiduciaries & personal representatives
Local probate court
15th Judicial Circuit Court
205 North Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
The 15th Judicial Circuit handles all probate matters for Palm Beach County. Filings are processed through the Clerk & Comptroller's office with electronic filing available via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal.
Local publication & obituary sources
Regional obituaries often appear in The Palm Beach Post and local funeral home websites in addition to formal legal notice channels.
Palm Beach County's 15th Judicial Circuit handles one of Florida's highest volumes of high-net-worth estate cases. Florida's 90-day creditor notification requirement under F.S. 733.2121 makes automated death monitoring essential for fiduciaries managing substantial trust assets.
Creditor notification requirements
Creditor notice in Florida usually combines publication to unknown creditors with direct notice to known or reasonably ascertainable creditors. The claim window referenced in Fla. Stat. § 733.702 often runs from the first publication or another triggering event defined by statute.
Known creditors
Mail or deliver actual notice to creditors identified from the decedent's records, bills, and financial statements; retain copies and mailing proofs.
Unknown creditors
Publish notice as required for creditors who are not known at the start of administration; retain publisher affidavits when available.
Publication: Review Fla. Stat. § 733.702 and local court rules for approved publication venues, timing, and proof-of-publication requirements.
- Fla. Stat. § 733.702
Claim deadlines
| Requirement | Typical window | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Creditor claim period | 3 months from first publication (30 days from actual notice for served creditors) | Fla. Stat. § 733.702 |
| Direct notice / publication timing | 30 days from service of notice on known creditors | Fla. Stat. § 733.702 |
Calculate the exact deadline from the triggering event in your matter (publication date, letters date, or death date as applicable).
Documentation standards
Notice documentation
Records fiduciaries often maintain in Florida matters:
- Copies of published notice with publication dates
- Proof of mailing or service on known creditors
- Spreadsheet of known creditors and notice status
- Clerk filings relating to notice to creditors
Search and monitoring documentation
Evidence that supports a diligence narrative (informational—not a guarantee of compliance):
- Timestamped obituary monitoring logs
- Negative search certificates when no obituary is found
- Notes on funeral home and newspaper sources reviewed
- Matter timeline aligned to claim deadlines
Nearby counties
Death verification intelligence
Palm Beach County — exportable diligence records
County probate work still requires documented obituary search effort. Illustrative certificate, audit log, and negative-search samples—not customer data.
Certificate of Diligence
Affidavit of Reasonable Search Effort
Report ID: OM-2026-8842
Subject
Robert J. Martinez
Dallas, TX
Monitoring
57 days · 648 scans
Match · 94% confidence
Sources searched (sample)
- Dallas Morning News · Legacy.com TX
- Forest Park Funeral Home · Dignity Memorial
- + 2,843 additional publishers in scope
Statute cited: Texas Estates Code § 308.051
sha256:e3b0c442…a495991b
PDF + audit logAudit log export
OM-2026-8842-AUDNegative-search ready
Same export format documents continuous scans when no obituary publishes—proof of diligence, not absence of effort.
Verification hash · CSV · PDF bundle
Negative search certificate
OM-2026-01-4421Subject
Margaret E. Thompson
Houston, TX
0
Matches found · 99.7% confidence
90 days continuous monitoring · 2,160 scans logged
- Houston Chronicle · Legacy.com TX feed
- Forest Park FH · Dignity Memorial network
- Hospital memorial pages · regional weeklies
Proves diligence when no obituary published—not absence of search effort.
sha256:9f86…a495
PDF + CSV audit logRelated death verification & probate resources
This topic connects obituary monitoring, probate timing, and exportable diligence—follow the cluster that matches your role.
Sources referenced
Informational citations only—not legal advice. Verify current law and local court rules.
- Fla. Stat. § 733.702 (creditor claims)
- Fla. Stat. § 733.2121 (reasonably ascertainable creditors)
- Florida Courts
- Florida Statutes — Senate
Palm Beach County probate FAQ
Where are probate cases filed in Palm Beach County?
Probate matters for Palm Beach County are generally filed with 15th Judicial Circuit Court. Confirm e-filing requirements and local forms with the clerk before filing.
How does Florida creditor notice apply in Palm Beach County?
Palm Beach County follows Florida statewide creditor notice rules (Fla. Stat. § 733.702), including publication and direct notice requirements. Local courts may have supplemental procedures.
Can obituary monitoring support diligence in Palm Beach County matters?
Monitoring public obituary sources in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter can help maintain timestamped search records alongside formal notice. It supports documentation efforts; it does not replace required publication.
What funeral home sources matter in Palm Beach County?
Obituaries may appear on funeral home websites, regional newspapers, and aggregators before they surface in legal notice databases. A documented monitoring workflow can capture those publications for Palm Beach County estates.
Is this page specific to 15th Judicial Circuit Court?
This page highlights Palm Beach County court and publication context. Always verify current local rules with the clerk and a licensed attorney for your matter.
Organize obituary monitoring evidence
ObituaryMonitor can help maintain timestamped search records designed for probate workflows—not a substitute for formal creditor notice.